GUINEA-BISSAU RELAXES CURFEW AMIDST MILITARY COUP
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Life slowly returned to usual in the capital of Guinea-Bissau on Friday after the country’s fifth coup in recent times, which happened right after the presidential and parliamentary elections.
The military chose General Horta N’Tam, who is the top commander of the army, to lead the country for a year as part of a transition.
This takeover happened just a day before officials were supposed to release the early results of the elections held on November 23.
AFP journalists reported that there were cars, taxis, and people walking along the main road from the port city of Bissau to the presidential palace.
Security was eased in parts of the capital, but remained in place at key locations.
Traders and shoppers were back at the city’s main markets, while shops, restaurants, and small grocery outlets had also reopened.
“I resumed my work because if I stay home, I will have nothing to eat,” said Boubacar Embalo, a 25-year-old street vendor.
“But things aren’t going too well for the moment. I have made rounds of the city since morning but have not managed to sell anything,” he added.
Surrounding areas of Bissau were more deserted, with few people at the reopened markets, AFP journalists said.
Between Senegal and Guinea, Guinea-Bissau has experienced four coups and many failed attempts to take control since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974.
The country has been struggling with severe poverty and poor government management, which has made it a place where Latin American drug traffickers can easily move cocaine to Europe.
On Wednesday, all the country‘s borders — land, air, and sea — were closed, but reports say they have now been opened again.
A nationwide curfew has been lifted, and the new leaders have told people to reopen markets, schools, and private organizations right away.
Guinea-Bissau’s President, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, left the country for Senegal after the coup took place.
Opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa told AFP he believed he had won Sunday’s election.
He alleged that Embalo, who has also claimed victory, had “organised” the power grab to prevent him from taking office.
Guinea-Bissau’s last presidential election in November 2019 was followed by a political crisis, with two rivals claiming to be the head of state.
That only ended in April 2020 when the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, recognised Embalo as the winner.
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